In EDC 102H this semester we were introduced to a few different forms of technology that can help us with our studies as we progress through college. Two extremely important resources that learned how to use were Evernote and Zotero. Zotero automatically creates your bibliographies for you. You don't even have to input the information for the source in most cases. For example, if you are looking at an article on the New York Times website, you can click on the Zotero icon next to the search bar in your browser and Zotero will automatically gather all of the information about the source including the author, publisher, etc. All you have to do is drag the source from Zotero onto your Word Document and the citation will be placed in your paper. Another form of technology we used was Evernote. Evernote is a "Personal Knowledge Base" where you can store articles on your computer, phone, tablet, etc. for easy access any time and anywhere. It basically works in the same way as Zotero in regards to the fact that you can look at an article on the internet, click the Evernote icon next to your search bar (known as the Web Clipper) and it will take a screenshot of the article and store it in your personal knowledge base. You can even high light important ideas in your article to make your research easier. In this reflection, I want to focus on Evernote and all of the positive experiences that I had with it.
Initially, I only used Evernote for this course. I predominantly used Evernote to store numerous articles that I found in regards to my topic of Central Falls for the Context Report or my topic of extracurricular activities for the Rhode Island Strategic Plan Project. By clipping the articles I found to Evernote and being able to high light certain information, it made my research much easier as I went back to sources to reference them for my projects. I also clipped all of my Academic Autobiographies to my personal knowledge base. Because of this, I know exactly where these autobiographies are and where they will be forever. Even if I eventually forget the password to my Wikispace, where the autobiographies originally were, I know that I will always have access to them whether it is on Evernote on my computer or on the Evernote App on my phone.
In complete honesty, I wasn't really a fan of Evernote at first. Like most new technology, it was confusing and difficult to work. However, with practice, I began to understand how useful it really was. Eventually, I broadened my use of Evernote. Not only was I using it for EDC 102H, I began to use it for matters related to my personal life. For example, Evernote became a way for me to store certain pages pertaining to my major and the required courses that I need to take here at URI in the future. I also recently clipped the Final Exam Schedule to my personal knowledge base. I even clipped my flu vaccine record. All throughout my life my parents stressed the importance of making copies of important documents. Whether it was confirmation emails or an application for a job that I applied to, my parents always told me to make a copy of it immediately in order to have it on file for my own records. By using Evernote, however, I no longer have to use a printer/copy machine and waste paper. Now, I can simply clip the form to my personal knowledge base and it will be there forever.
Through my continued use of Evernote, I have began to it upon myself to organize it in a way that is easy for me to understand. I admit that I haven't used any tags or note links. However, I have created a few different notebooks in order to organize each article that I clip and make them easier for me to find. Currently I have three notebooks titled "EDC 102H," "URI," and "Ileana LaGrutta's Notebook." Most obvious is my EDC 102H notebook. It is here where all of my articles for my Context Report, my Rhode Island Strategic Plan Project, and my Academic Autobiographies are placed. In my "URI" notebook I clip anything that has to do with URI. Whether it is the final exam schedule, the curriculum map for my major, or the group exercise schedule at the gym, this notebook will definitely be of use to me throughout these next four years. Lastly, the notebook titled "Ileana LaGrutta's Notebook" contains any documents that are important to my personal life. This includes my flu vaccine record as well as confirmation emails I have received in regards to items that I have purchased or events that I have signed up for. That being said, my personal knowledge base extends well beyond the classroom and can be used for many other aspects of my life.
In conclusion, EDC 102H was a great class. Not only did we learn about important issues around schools and educational reform, we also learned new forms of technology that we can use for the rest of our lives. In a world that is moving toward strictly digital and online resources, Evernote is definitely a great thing to have. I plan on using my personal knowledge base in order to store important documents pertaining to my personal life as well as continue to use it throughout the rest of my education whether that be here at URI or later on in graduate school. Evernote is an extremely beneficial tool and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to organize their life in a clear and simple way.
Initially, I only used Evernote for this course. I predominantly used Evernote to store numerous articles that I found in regards to my topic of Central Falls for the Context Report or my topic of extracurricular activities for the Rhode Island Strategic Plan Project. By clipping the articles I found to Evernote and being able to high light certain information, it made my research much easier as I went back to sources to reference them for my projects. I also clipped all of my Academic Autobiographies to my personal knowledge base. Because of this, I know exactly where these autobiographies are and where they will be forever. Even if I eventually forget the password to my Wikispace, where the autobiographies originally were, I know that I will always have access to them whether it is on Evernote on my computer or on the Evernote App on my phone.
In complete honesty, I wasn't really a fan of Evernote at first. Like most new technology, it was confusing and difficult to work. However, with practice, I began to understand how useful it really was. Eventually, I broadened my use of Evernote. Not only was I using it for EDC 102H, I began to use it for matters related to my personal life. For example, Evernote became a way for me to store certain pages pertaining to my major and the required courses that I need to take here at URI in the future. I also recently clipped the Final Exam Schedule to my personal knowledge base. I even clipped my flu vaccine record. All throughout my life my parents stressed the importance of making copies of important documents. Whether it was confirmation emails or an application for a job that I applied to, my parents always told me to make a copy of it immediately in order to have it on file for my own records. By using Evernote, however, I no longer have to use a printer/copy machine and waste paper. Now, I can simply clip the form to my personal knowledge base and it will be there forever.
Through my continued use of Evernote, I have began to it upon myself to organize it in a way that is easy for me to understand. I admit that I haven't used any tags or note links. However, I have created a few different notebooks in order to organize each article that I clip and make them easier for me to find. Currently I have three notebooks titled "EDC 102H," "URI," and "Ileana LaGrutta's Notebook." Most obvious is my EDC 102H notebook. It is here where all of my articles for my Context Report, my Rhode Island Strategic Plan Project, and my Academic Autobiographies are placed. In my "URI" notebook I clip anything that has to do with URI. Whether it is the final exam schedule, the curriculum map for my major, or the group exercise schedule at the gym, this notebook will definitely be of use to me throughout these next four years. Lastly, the notebook titled "Ileana LaGrutta's Notebook" contains any documents that are important to my personal life. This includes my flu vaccine record as well as confirmation emails I have received in regards to items that I have purchased or events that I have signed up for. That being said, my personal knowledge base extends well beyond the classroom and can be used for many other aspects of my life.
In conclusion, EDC 102H was a great class. Not only did we learn about important issues around schools and educational reform, we also learned new forms of technology that we can use for the rest of our lives. In a world that is moving toward strictly digital and online resources, Evernote is definitely a great thing to have. I plan on using my personal knowledge base in order to store important documents pertaining to my personal life as well as continue to use it throughout the rest of my education whether that be here at URI or later on in graduate school. Evernote is an extremely beneficial tool and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to organize their life in a clear and simple way.